Citizenship Committee, or CitCo is seemingly a mystery to many students at KO, a looming figure, or a secret society created to maintain discipline and order. CitCo is sadly neither of those, but a group of students and faculty built to teach students.
If a student breaks a core value of KO, the two main ones being academic dishonesty and respect for others, and the incident is reported, a few things happen before it gets to CitCo. “There’s some sort of investigation that I do,” said Dean of students Kata Baker. “If, for example, it’s respect for community, I would talk to people who were witness to it, talk to the victim, get a good understanding of what happened. If it was academic dishonesty I would work with the department chair and the teacher.” Students only go to CitCo after it is certain they have done the action, and there is a need for a conversation. “All of this has been done by the time I’ve met with the student and said, ‘Okay, this as a result of the history that you have, or as a result of the seriousness of this incident, you’re going to go to Citizenship Committee,” Mrs. Baker said. CitCo is a final step, but is not a trial.
CitCo is simply a place to talk to faculty and students, in order for them to understand your
actions. In some cases, just the conversation is enough, and no punishment is given. If you are a repeat offender, or if you committed a more serious offense, then the committee will send a recommendation to Head of School Tom Dillow, who decides what should be done. One student member, senior Samit Virmani, explained the goal of CitCo, “The goal of CitCo is to show the student what they did was wrong,” said Virmani, “and you show them how it not only affected them, having to be in CitCo and what the consequences would be, but it shows them what the effects are to other people.” CitCo is a long conversation, with some lasting up to seven hours, that is meant to teach the student, and offer the punishment as a secondary learning tool, if it is needed. The student is also not alone, as they get to pick a faculty member to accompany them. Before going, Mrs. Baker talks to the student and helps them prepare for the conversation. “I walk them through what would happen in citizenship committee,” Mrs. Baker explained, “and then I say to them; ‘you get to decide who comes with you, and that adult is there to help you be a little bit more comfortable walking into the room, because it can be a little scary, but also to help you prepare your thoughts for what you’re going to say about your why and what your logic was, and help you process after the fact.” CitCo is scary, and having a helping, comforting hand can allow students to be more upfront and honest about what they did and why. The adult tends to be the student’s advisor, but it can be anyone. It could be a teacher you are close with or your coach, they should be able to speak to who you are as a person, and help you through this process.
CitCo is a committee of students and faculty, but how do students become a part of it? The process has changed over time, initially having 2 students in the sophomore class, of each gender chosen purely by a student vote. That was shifted to the current format because the committee didn’t want CitCo to just be a popularity contest, but the most adept people possible. Now, students answer questions pertaining to core values, as well as write a statement explaining why they want to be a part of CitCo. Then, students vote and the top few go through an interview process, meeting with the head of the committee, Dr. Gene Cassidy and Mrs. Baker. This vote is important because it shifts CitCo from a group of faculty to a mixed group. When students have peers, or friends on the committee, they feel more comfortable and more heard, allowing them to learn and really understand how to be a better KO community member. This vote is the voice of the students, they are choosing the peers they trust the most, who they know won’t spill the secrets of a case “You want someone who has a good relationship and understands what it means to be a junior,” Mrs. Baker explained, “who you feel knows the class well, essentially, you want someone who’s compassionate.” The prospective members are met with a mock scenario and must come up with a recommendation and should be able to explain to the student why what they did was wrong and explain the impact on the community. Members should be quick thinking, compassionate, and able to help students understand the committee’s point of view on why their actions violated the KO core values. Senior committee member Teague Shamleffer explained the process, “We did a mock case for the sophomore class last year,” said Teague “In that mock case, Dr. T was the student, and they said that she had used AI.” CitCo has a very in depth process for selecting members, so that they can be effective.
The Citizenship Committee is not a dark shadow on the school, providing punishment and discipline to wrongdoers and delinquents. They are a committee of caring adults and students who aim to teach students who have made mistakes. They want to help KO grow, and become a safer, smarter, and more understanding place. Don’t be scared of CitCo, they only want to help.
There was one case where we were there for six or seven hours, and we really thought hard and long about what needed to be done.
I’m really proud that KO has a process that values both student and teacher input in kind of these proceedings.
